Easy as A-B-C

By Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America

Have you heard about pharmacists refusing to fill women’s birth control prescriptions, and wondered whether lawmakers were paying attention? I have an answer for you. They are.

I just got back to the office after attending a press conference on Capitol Hill to announce the introduction of the Access to Birth Control (ABC) Act. This bill would guarantee women access to birth control at national pharmacy chains.

I was proud to join Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) and a brave and outstanding woman: Carrie Baker.

Do you remember Carrie?

She’s the mother of two from Rome, Georgia who was unable to obtain the emergency contraceptive Plan B® at her local Kroger pharmacy. Fortunately for all of us pro-choice activists out there, Carrie turned her anger into action, and contacted NARAL Pro-Choice America and NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia to fight back.

Carrie spoke passionately about the need for the ABC Act, which would prevent other women from experiencing the humiliating and degrading situation that Carrie endured at a pharmacy counter. Carrie even took time away from a family vacation to join us in Washington.

So please, join Carrie and me in thanking Reps. Maloney and Shays, along with Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who introduced the Senate version of the bill, for addressing this serious issue with thoughtful, commonsense legislation.